Thursday, March 21, 2013

Hey

happy Spring! we are unexpectedly having a fire here in the fireplace.

I just received my information on Crown Point Road in Shrewsbury:

The
Crown
Point
Road:
An
Introduction

Across
the state of Vermont a chain of markers stretches from the banks of the
Connecticut River to the shore of Lake Champlain. Erected at different
times, by different people, and made of different materials - granite,
marble, stone, wood, metal - the markers have one thing in common; they
mark the route of the old Crown Point Military Road.Built in 1759-60, during the
French and Indian War, the Crown Point Road was of great importance in
the early history of Vermont. It was ordered constructed by General
Jeffrey Amherst following his capture of the French forts at Ticonderoga
and Crown Point. Its purpose was to connect the great stone fortress at
Crown Point, then being built, with Fort No. 4, now Charlestown, New
Hampshire. There was a suitable branch nearly straight west to Fort
Ticonderoga.This military road was of
prime importance in the plans of General Amherst. The new fort at Crown
Point was to be a strong point in the defense [and future development]
of the colonies, and a jumping-off point in the campaign against the
French in Canada. The new road to No. 4, then the northernmost outpost
in the Connecticut River valley, would serve to bring much needed
supplies to the fort at Crown Point, as well as troops from New
Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.The road, though a poor one
by today’s standards, was built well enough to serve its purpose.
Portions of the road were graded, trees were cut, stumps removed,
bridges and causeways were built, and corduroy sections were laid in
swampy areas. Over this road, in the 1760 campaign, passed Colonial
troops with supplies, munitions, cattle and sheep for the support of the
army at Crown Point.The Crown Point Road was
again used for military purposes during the Revolution when troops and
supplies were sent over the road from Fort No. 4 to support the American
position at Ticonderoga.But perhaps the road’s
most lasting contribution to Vermont’s history was its use by settlers
in the period between the French and Indian War and the Revolution. The
road opened a large area of Vermont for settlement and, with the defeat
of the French and the lessening danger from Indian raids, settlers were
soon traveling the Crown Point Road and building their homes in the
valleys and on the hillsides of Vermont.The Crown Point Road of
today has changed greatly. Much of the road has disappeared entirely,
reclaimed by the forest. Other parts have been plowed under or bulldozed
away to meet the needs of the expanding population of the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries. Some sections of the road are marked and can be
followed as trails, while other sections are barely discernible paths
through the woods, marked only by the lilac-fringed cellar holes and
stone walls of abandoned farms. A few short stretches of the old
military road are still in use as town roads. Written by: Martin J.
Howe, First President of the CPRA

I'm glad I'm a member. If any of you can make it to one of the organization's outings, I would suggest it